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Ukraine and Russia accuse one another of deadly attacks on Odesa port
Ukraine and Russia both accused the other of deadly attacks on Sunday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Moscow had targeted global food security when it struck Odesa's port. Three people were 'killed and wounded 37 times in the eastern Ukrainian city?Kharkiv?where an apartment block of multiple floors was struck, and authorities in Russias Belgorod reported that five people were killed and twenty-five wounded by a Ukrainian aerial attack. Zelenskiy claimed that a strike had damaged Odesa's port. Local authorities reported that dozens of drones, missiles and other weapons struck the southern seaside town injuring about a dozen people. Zelenskiy stated that "Russians are at war against the food security of the world in this manner." Odesa’s "seaports" are the main artery of Ukraine's agricultural exports. He also said that Russia hit nine other Ukrainian areas on Sunday. Russia bombarded Odesa to try and cut Ukraine off from Black Sea. "Everyone in Odesa knows that the most frequent target is the area around the port," said 67 year old?Ihor. His apartment narrowly avoided destruction. Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil tankers, cargo ships and other vessels in the Black Sea to disrupt Russia’s war-waging revenues. It claimed three more such attacks on Sunday. Both sides have launched an escalating campaign to undermine the logistics of the other. E-commerce warehouses and Ukrainian petrol stations were targeted heavily during the summer. Naftogaz, the state-owned oil and gas company of Ukraine, said that attacks on its facilities have increased in recent days. This includes overnight attacks on oil extraction equipment. Ukraine's Energy Ministry said that Russia had attacked power plants in the Odesa area, causing "significant" loss of electricity for residents of Odesa overnight. The company said that 90,000 customers had already regained power. The Russian Defence Ministry has said that it struck fuel storage facilities in Odesa, and Chornomorsk nearby. Pope Leo renewed his call for an end to the four-and-a half year war in the Vatican on Sunday. The pontiff told worshippers at Sunday's Angelus service that "Tragic incidents are multiplying and causing an increasing number of civilian victims including children." (Reporting and editing by Alexander Smith, Barbara Lewis and Max Hunder at the Kyiv and Moscow Bureau)
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Swiss Re warns of heatwave dangers as some parts of Germany relax trucking restrictions
The authorities failed to understand the'scale of risk' heatwaves pose to human life, according to the CEO of Swiss?Re, quoted on Sunday. This was as some German states relaxed trucking restrictions in order to reduce weather-related pressures on shipping. Europe, the continent that is warming up fastest, has seen thousands of deaths due to a record heatwave. Most of these deaths were people over 65 years old. France and Spain experienced particularly high temperatures over the past few weeks. Heat has also decreased water levels in major?rivers which have hampered shipping. This has prompted some German states to temporarily suspend curbs on truck traffic this weekend. Swiss Re CEO Andreas Berger said to the Swiss newspaper?NZZ am Sonntag that the risk of heatwaves, and their associated deaths, was understated. Berger added: "We must raise awareness about the dangers?arising? from this." Berger said that it is too early to determine the impact of excess mortality on the figures for Swiss Re, which was reported by the company in the first half 2026. Robert Koch Institute of Public Health estimated that there were approximately?11900 heat-related death in Germany in this year, mainly due to extreme temperatures late in June. North Rhine-Westphalia - Germany's largest?state - as well as Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate - as well as Saarland - lowered trucking curbs to help ease bottlenecks in transport caused by high water levels along rivers, including the Rhine. Low water levels are straining supply chains. That's why we're taking ?action and creating additional transport options by road at short notice," said Rhineland-Palatinate's state secretary for transport, Markus ?Wolf. Authorities said that the looser curbs for truck traffic on Sundays and Holidays will be in effect until August 31 and may remain in place through September in certain states. (Writing and reporting by Dave Graham, with additional reporting from Holger Hansen at Berlin; editing by Alexander Smith).
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Turkish officials claim that the passage of ships into the Black Sea is proceeding smoothly.
Two Turkish officials said on Sunday that ships are moving'smoothly' through the Turkish Straits to?the Black Sea, despite increased safety concerns. Bloomberg News reported on Saturday that Ankara has restricted commercial ship traffic into the Black Sea after attacks against vessels, including Turkish-owned vessels. The Turkish government has repeatedly warned Moscow and Kyiv about the attacks on ships in the Black Sea. It has urged the warring parties to take steps to ensure navigational security in the region. Hakan Fidan, the Turkish Foreign Minister said that Ankara has urged Moscow and Kyiv to declare a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea. Officials who spoke under anonymity said that Turkey had taken some temporary measures to ensure its security, as it was very uncomfortable with the situation. However, this passage is clear in terms of the?Montreux Convention. The officials did not provide any further details. The Montreux Convention of 1936 on the Regime of the Straits grants Turkey "control" over the Bosphorus, Dardanelles and the right to regulate the transit of naval warships. The agreement also allows civilian ships to pass freely in peacetime, and restricts passage for vessels not from a Black Sea country. Turkey, with NATO's second largest army, has maintained friendly relations with Kyiv and Moscow ever since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine 2022. It has refused to join Western sanction against Russia while also providing military assistance to Ukraine, including using its own stock. (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis; Tuvan Gumrukcu)
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Spain checks 200 Italian arrivals at the border after migration row
On the first day that border controls were reintroduced after a dispute with Italy over 'irregular migration,' Spain checked 200 passengers arriving from Italy at six of the largest airports in the country. Spain's Interior Ministry conducted checks on 199 passengers on 12 flights departing from Italy and arriving at airports in Madrid (Barcelona), Seville (Bilbao), Alicante, Valencia, and Alicante, the ministry said late on Saturday. Spain announced on Friday that border controls would continue to be in place for Italian flights and ships until September 7, after Rome implemented its own measures. Rome said the measures were motivated by a mass migration rush of 72,000 people into Spain's North African enclave, Ceuta. Italy suspended Schengen's borderless Schengen agreement with Spain on August 1, and has said that it will maintain border control until at least August 15 Rome stated that the measure will not affect Spanish or other EU nationals travelling to Italy, but instead would involve targeted checks of?non EU nationals arriving by sea or air from Spain. In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published on Sunday, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said: "We hope to be able?to lift the suspension as soon as?there is no longer any risk." Schengen Area allows passport free?travel between 29 European?countries. However, member states may temporarily reinstate border controls for security or public order reasons.
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Russian authorities claim that three people were killed in a drone attack by Ukraine on Belgorod.
Local authorities reported on Sunday that three people were killed and 25 others injured in a drone attack by the Ukrainians overnight against Belgorod. Alexander Shuvayev said that the incident sparked two fires which were later put out by emergency services. He said that a number of residential buildings and non-residential ones were damaged. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that it had?destroyed?more 150 Ukrainian drones in the European part of Russia, as well as the Black Sea, Crimea and the Sea of Azov. Alexander Kravchenko, the mayor of Novorossiysk - a major Russian port located on 'the Black Sea' - said that drone debris had fallen?onto two?facilities. He did not identify these sites. According to the state-run RIA news agency, local emergency services reported that a 'Ukrainian drone' struck a building in construction and a crane at Ufa. (Reporting and editing by Alexander Smith; Maxim Rodionov)
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Australia investigates the near-miss collision between two planes at Sydney Airport
The Australian 'Transport Safety Bureau' was informed that a Jetstar A320 and a 'Qatar Airways Boeing 777' narrowly avoided colliding on the tarmac of Sydney airport on Sunday. The regulator reported that the Jetstar flight crew was taxiing to take off for Gold Coast in Queensland when they saw an aircraft tug towing a Qatar Airways plane very close by on a cross-taxiway. The Transport Safety Bureau said that "both aircraft were abruptly stopped" in a press release. The regulator reported that a cabin crew member of the Jetstar aircraft was injured and that the connection between the nose gear of the Qatar Airways plane and the aircraft tug had been damaged. Jetstar, Australia's budget airline, also said that it was looking into the incident. In a press release, a Jetstar spokesperson stated that "our?aircraft?was following Air Traffic Control's instructions when the pilots had to?brake strongly after another aircraft approached in close proximity." Qatar Airways didn't immediately respond to an?ask for comment. Airservices Australia, the government agency responsible for Sydney Airport, had implemented "departure spacing" because of a roster problem with air traffic controllers. Airservices Australia didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment.
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German Minister wants to tie bonuses for Deutsche Bahn to targets
The new German transport minister has said he wants to tie bonuses to the struggling national 'rail operator' meeting government targets. In an interview with 'newspaper Bild am Sonntag published on Sunday, Steffen Bielger said: "It would have a tangible impact on bonuses paid to managers at Deutsche Bahn if the government targets are not met." Transport experts believe that the problems of Deutsche Bahn are due to decades of 'underinvestment' in infrastructure despite an increase in rail usage, as well as 'its status as a JSC aiming to make a profit while providing a public service. Bilger, who was appointed last month and is now in charge of the network, has said that he wants to improve punctuality. He said, "The figures so far are totally inadequate." It will take some time. According to the current agreement, the long-distance train punctuality is supposed to reach 70% by 2029. This is up from around 60% during the first half this year. He said, "There won't be 100% in the near future." "I don’t believe it exists in any other country in Europe." (Written by Dave Graham, edited by Andrea Ricci).
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Turkish Minister: NATO Article 5 is the same as NATO Article 4 in Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia defense pact
Hakan Fidan, Turkish Foreign Ministry, said that the Article 5 Mutual Defence Agreement of NATO is the same as a defence pact between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The accord does not target Iran, he added. Fidan said that Turkish President Tayyip Erdoan wanted the alliance to expand and that Egypt, among other countries, was a possible candidate for membership. The regional powers have signed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", bringing together Sunni Muslim U.S. Allies who are alarmed by a regional conflagration which has seen Iranian missiles fire on Gulf oil exporters. In a statement released jointly, the parties said that the agreement was intended to increase 'collective deterrence' against any acts of aggression. It also stipulates that any armed attack on any of the three countries would be considered an attack on them all. Fidan told the Anadolu News Agency that the new alliance wasn't aimed at Iran or other countries, but was rather "a general pledge" to support the security of the three allies. Fidan said that in consultations, the allies will decide what level, format, and form of support they want to receive in the event that an attack occurs. However, he added that no country is considered a threat if a member state has not been attacked. The Turkish army is the second largest in NATO. It has stated that it was open to expanding to other countries of the region and not to replace existing alliances. "NATO is an alliance of 32 nations. "We have?started as three countries, and we must take very modest but concrete steps," said he. He added that efforts to finalise this pact have been underway for the past two years and eight months. He said that an alliance would include a similar committee of ministers to NATO, as well as a Saudi Arabia-based general secretariat. However, operational details will be decided at the first meeting of the committee. "Our President's Vision is that we do not remain limited to just three countries. We grow and bring all (regional countries)?under one roof," he added, adding Egypt may join the pact after certain technical issues are resolved. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as well as?Egypt, have formed a group in recent months to discuss regional issues, including the war against Iran. Turkey said that the group, dubbed R4, aims to strengthen its partnership by using concrete mechanisms. Fidan said that Turkey should also be part of an international coalition in order to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks, because Ankara's interest is shipping safety. Tuvan Gumrukcu, Susan Fenton, and Topra Chopra edited the article.
Maguire: US-driven gas-turbine crunch could speed up global clean energy adoption
The rush by U.S. utilities to buy as many gas turbines possible to boost their local power output has caused a global shortage in gas-power equipment. This may prompt other power systems into accelerating the development of cleaner alternatives.
According to Global Energy Monitor data, the?amount? of U.S. natural gas-fired power plants that are under construction has increased by more than two-thirds since a year earlier, and the amount?of capacity?in preconstruction has risen more than fivefold from early 2025.
The U.S. surge in gas-fired capacity is pushing delivery dates for new 'gas turbines' into the 2030s. Meanwhile, the cost of utility-scale solar farms with battery energy storage systems continues to fall.
Companies in other countries are prioritising non-gas power sources as a result of the combination of increasing uncertainty in the gas supply chain and the availability of cleaner power alternatives.
Rapid Growth at Home
According to GEM, the U.S. pipeline of new gas-powered generator capacity has exploded over the last year. The total capacity under construction is expected to more than double by 2025 and reach 30 gigawatts.
Pre-construction capacity for U.S. Gas has risen by?420% since early 2025, to just under 159 GW.
Pre-construction capacity in the U.S. represents one third of global capacity pipelines at the same stage of development. This means the U.S. holds a record share for the "global power supply pipeline" of gas.
Utilities are the main contractors for the new capacity planned, but a few so-called hyperscalers such as Meta and Microsoft intend to power their facilities directly from gas plants.
The appeal of gas-fired electricity in the U.S. has been boosted by the strong policy support in Washington and the record high production of domestic natural gas.
The promise to reduce restrictions on gas exploration in federal lands has also led to expectations that U.S. supplies of gas will continue to grow and remain the most abundant energy?source for U.S. utilities.
COOLING Demand Overseas
There are signs of a waning enthusiasm for gas power in other countries.
Gas prices have risen to three-year highs last month in the U.S. and nearly doubled so far in Europe this year.
Gas-importing countries also do not want to become dependent on potentially belligerent trading partner.
The fallout from Russia's invasion in Ukraine 2022 is still affecting several European gas-consuming countries. They are hesitant to replace these lost supplies by importing LNG from the U.S., while President Donald Trump uses tariffs and threats of trade as tools of coercion.
In Asia and Africa as well, energy sovereignty is a growing concern. The production of materials related to the energy transformation - such as solar panels and batteries - creates local jobs while also reducing energy imports.
MOVING TARGETS
It is estimated that 52% of global gas pipelines in pre-construction are based in Asia or Africa. Around 234 GW of planned capacity in Asia, and another 19.3 GW on the continent, will be built.
China has 61 GW in pre-construction, on top of the 31 GW that are currently being built. It is increasing its overall gas-powered footprint.
The wide time frame of the pre-construction project means that these capacity levels will change. This is especially true in China, where the mix of generation changes at an 'unprecedented speed.
China is the world's leading producer of renewable energy and manufacturer of clean-energy components. Its utilities and government are prioritising energy derived from domestic sources over imported fuels.
Solar panels and battery storage system are increasingly popular with utilities around the world.
Beijing continues to place a high priority on supporting these manufacturing and export-oriented industries. This means that China will continue to ship a large amount of clean energy components, even though gas turbine scarcity is increasing.
The prospect of affordable, abundant renewable equipment may be more appealing to global power system managers than the uncertain timeline and high gas prices for gas power components.
This could lead to a divergence of global power systems, with the U.S. becoming ever more gassy while other major markets choose a cleaner composition.
These are the opinions of the columnist, who is also an author. This column is great! Open Interest (ROI) is your new essential source of global financial commentary. Follow ROI on LinkedIn, X and X. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast daily on Apple, Spotify or the app. Subscribe to the Morning Bid podcast and hear journalists discussing the latest news in finance and markets 7 days a weeks.
(source: Reuters)